Flame Azalea

Rhododendron calendulaceum

Flame azalea might be the most spectacular wildflower shrub in the eastern United States. Stand at a Appalachian overlook in late May with flame azalea in bloom on the slope below and the colors hit you before you can process what you're seeing. orange, yellow, apricot, red, sometimes all shades on a single hillside. William Bartram described it in 1791 as 'the most gay and brilliant flowering shrub ever seen.' That description still holds. It blooms in late spring, after pinxterbloom azalea and before sweet azalea, filling a specific window in the native azalea calendar. The large flowers are unscented but intensely colored. hummingbirds find them immediately. It grows naturally on dry mountain slopes and forest edges, meaning it tolerates less moisture than other native azaleas. This is a slow grower that rewards patience with one of the most extraordinary bloom displays in the native plant world.